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Reposted by Robert Manduca

UM SRC @um-src.bsky.social · Jul 7

A new working paper from @umichstonecid.bsky.social/SRC researcher @robertmanduca.bsky.social examining the geography of social transfer programs & implications for cuts to Medicaid & SNAP in the recently signed federal budget.

Also see: equitablegrowth.org/medicaid-and...

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Reposted by Robert Manduca

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · Jul 3

In @marketwatch.com @robertmanduca.bsky.social helps break down what's at stake for local communities as a result of Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill—on average these safety-net programs account for 40 percent of money flowing into local communities.

www.marketwatch.com/story/how-th...

If Trump signs his big bill into law, America could end up with a social safety net that ‘barely functions’

America’s social safety net is poised to become thinner if the Republicans’ massive tax and spending bill crosses the finish line, at a time when low-income consumers are struggling and recession fear...

www.marketwatch.com

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Reposted by Robert Manduca

Roseanna Sommers @rosesomm.bsky.social · Jul 3

Hey that's @robertmanduca.bsky.social's research!

Roseanna Sommers @rosesomm.bsky.social · Jul 3

Whitmer warns that Medicaid, SNAP cuts in GOP bill could slash 41k Michigan Jobs, $4.5B in GDP michiganadvance.com/2025/07/02/w...

Whitmer warns that Medicaid, SNAP cuts in GOP bill could slash 41k Michigan Jobs, $4.5B in GDP • Michigan Advance

Updated 2:01 p.m. As the U.S. House of Representatives debates whether to give final passage to Congressional Republicans’ signature tax break and spending cuts package, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer...

michiganadvance.com

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Reposted by Robert Manduca

David S. Mitchell @dsmitch28.bsky.social · Jul 2

...

58% of military in CA-22 (Valadao)

223% of water transport (Staten Island ferries! largest private industry in district) in NY-11 (Malliotakis)

100% of pipeline transport in TX-15 (De La Cruz)

equitablegrowth.org/medicaid-and... h/t @robertmanduca.bsky.social @equitablegrowth.bsky.social

Medicaid and SNAP cuts in congressional Republicans’ budget bill will negatively impact local economies

New research shows how cuts to Medicaid and other social programs negatively impact local economies as well as program beneficiaries.

equitablegrowth.org

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Reposted by Robert Manduca

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · Jul 2

"Cuts to social programs will have a major impact on local economic activity." Social programs are a key part of the regional economic base. @robertmanduca.bsky.social on how Medicaid and SNAP cuts in the #ReconciliationBill will negatively impact local economies:
equitablegrowth.org/medicaid-and...

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 27

Starting in 10 minutes!

Economic Sociology & Political Economy @econsociology.bsky.social · Jun 25

EVENT: “Should Social Insurance Programs Count as Wealth? Augmented Wealth in Research and Policy”, Robert Manduca will present comparative-historical reflections on the measurement and common practices in wealth studies, June 27, 11AM EDT/17:00 CET. Register: umich.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Socio-Economic Review Cafe: Reflection on Wealth Studies (June. 27). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Featuring a conversation with SER authors Robert Manduca (University of Michigan). Join us for a discussion of comparative-historical reflections on the measurement and common practices in wealth stu...

umich.zoom.us

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

A lot of the discussion of the reconciliation bill has focused--rightly--on the consequences for beneficiaries of these programs. 11 million people are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, and 4.5 million stand to lose SNAP. That's a ton. But the economic impacts may be even more widespread

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

In Kentucky's 5th congressional district, recently profiled by Arlie Hochschild for @nytimes.com, Medicaid makes up a quarter of the entire economic base. The SNAP and Medicaid cuts would be like losing one-third of all traded private sector industries

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/o...

Opinion | My Journey Deep in the Heart of Trump Country

www.nytimes.com

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

If we look just at the proposed *cuts* to Medicaid and SNAP, it's the economic equivalent of Maine losing its entire forestry and paper manufacturing industries, all at once--or Alaska losing 60% of its oil and gas industry.

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

Put another way, Medicaid contributes roughly as much to Detroit's economy than car manufacturing, more to Houston than the chemical industry, almost twice as much to Los Angeles as motion picture production--these are big numbers!

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

As I describe in a post for @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, these programs are major foundations for local economies nationwide. Medicaid alone makes up about 11% of the economic base of US regions, and SNAP is about 1.4% equitablegrowth.org/medicaid-and...

Medicaid and SNAP cuts in congressional Republicans’ budget bill will negatively impact local economies

New research shows how cuts to Medicaid and other social programs negatively impact local economies as well as program beneficiaries.

equitablegrowth.org

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

Shifting from economic geography to policy, what does this mean for the current reconciliation bill? The House version is set to cut Medicaid and SNAP by about $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years--that's roughly a 12% cut to Medicaid and 27% to SNAP www.cbo.gov/publication/...

Estimated Budgetary Effects of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

As passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025

www.cbo.gov

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

What's driving the change? @innovateeconomy.bsky.social reported last fall about the "Great Transfer-mation" across the US, attributing it to 1) aging populations, 2) rising healthcare costs, and 3) slower earnings growth eig.org/great-transf...

The Great Transfer-mation - Economic Innovation Group

Explore your community’s reliance on government transfers through EIG’s Great Transfer-mation Project.

eig.org

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

In some parts of Florida--looking at you, Cape Coral--traditional traded industries make up just *5 percent* of the economic base. The rest of the economy is based on retirement savings, pensions, Social Security, Medicare, etc.

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

Financial income made up another 26%. Traded sector earnings were just 24%: less than either of the other sources, and down from 35% in 2001

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

I compute the share of *all* economic base income that comes from transfers, financial income, and earnings in traded industries (the standard definition). The results are pretty striking: in 2022, transfer payments accounted for *40 percent* of the economic base across US regions

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

Usually, researchers define the economic base = traded industries only. But selling products to other cities or countries isn't the only way money can enter a local economy. I explore two other sources: financial income and government transfers. Like exports, these payments sustain the local sector

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

The two sectors play different roles in the local economy: most residents are employed by the local sector, which typically accounts for about 2/3 of jobs. But the traded sector is the ultimate foundation of a region's economic viability--its economic base

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

The Economic Performance of Regions

P ORTER M. E. (2003) The economic performance of regions, Reg. Studies 37 , 549-578. This paper examines the basic facts about the regional economic performance, the composition of regional economi...

www.tandfonline.com

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

Other industries--some examples are restaurants, grocery stores, home construction, mechanics--serve local, not national/global demand. These are the "town fillers," now usually called the "local" or "non-basic" sector

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

Basically, some industries--think manufacturing, farming, etc., but also film production or high finance--sell their products on national or global markets, bringing money into their local economies. They're the "town builders", which modern scholars call "traded industries" or the "basic sector"

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

The starting point is Economic Base Theory--a classic concept in economics and geography going back at least to Werner Sombart's 1916 classic "Der moderne Kapitalismus", which made the distinction between "town builders" and "town fillers"

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 25

New working paper alert! Posted at @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, it investigates the economic geography of social transfer programs and financial income--with implications for the Medicaid and SNAP cuts proposed in the reconciliation bill 👀

equitablegrowth.org/working-pape...

Financial and Transfer Income as Components of the Regional Economic Base

Government transfers and financial income form a major component of the basic sector in the United States.

equitablegrowth.org

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Reposted by Robert Manduca

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Reductions to essential public programs in the budget reconciliation bill impact more than beneficiaries. They affect key service providers, local businesses, and community stability.

@robertmanduca.bsky.social on Medicaid and SNAP cuts impacting local economies:

Medicaid and SNAP cuts in congressional Republicans’ budget bill will negatively impact local economies

New research shows how cuts to Medicaid and other social programs negatively impact local economies as well as program beneficiaries.

equitablegrowth.org

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Robert Manduca @robertmanduca.bsky.social · Jun 16

Really excited for this!

SASE | The Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics @sasemeeting.bsky.social · Jun 14

SER Café☕︎

Join us for an online conversation with author @robertmanduca.bsky.social on his article, “Should social insurance programs count as wealth? Augmented wealth in research and policy.”

📅Friday, June 27th, 8AM PDT / 11AM EDT / 5PM CET via Zoom.

Register here: umich.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Socio-Economic Review Cafe: Reflection on Wealth Studies (June. 27). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Featuring a conversation with SER authors Robert Manduca (University of Michigan). Join us for a discussion of comparative-historical reflections on the measurement and common practices in wealth stu...

umich.zoom.us

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Reposted by Robert Manduca

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Jun 16

Social Security, unemployment insurance and child tax credits are in a sense assets that aren’t usually counted up when discussing wealth and #inequality. A sociologist explains how these benefits are worth far more in countries like Norway: buff.ly/yA3Ljst By @robertmanduca.bsky.social @umich.edu

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